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Sunday, March 1, 2015

I know February is the shortest month, but it honestly felt like the longest month. That may be due to the fact that February brought snow storm after snow storm to New York as well as beyond frigid temperatures.

However, despite the weather I ended up having a great February as I closed on my co-op! I had to look fashionable while dealing with all of that real estate stuff so here are the beauty items I reached for the most during the cold month of February!

*Younique Lucrative Lipgloss in Lovesick*

This beautiful lipgloss was part of Younique's February Beauty Bundle. At first sight I didn't know if it would be a color that I would like. However, when applied to the lips it looks almost nothing like in the packaging. It takes on a beautiful lollipop/cherry slush like color with a hint of sparkle. It's a very brightening color and really brings life to my pale winter face.

*Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette*

I've had this palette for quite a while and normally only busted it out for special events, but considering my skin is SO dull this winter I decided to use it daily. I use the skin toned shade (Dim Light) as a sort of all over finishing powder, the bronzer (Radiant Light) as a light contour and the highlight shade (Incandescent Light) as you guessed it…a highlight!

*Elf Studio Contour Brush*

I have never ever been able to achieve the perfect outer v shape while doing my face makeup. That is until I purchased this $3 brush! This brush is the perfect shape and density to make a flawless outer v. I highly recommend this brush if you ever struggled with achieving that beautiful eye look.

*Milani Powder Blush in Coral Cove*

The theme of this month is brightening products! This coral blush, with the gorgeous rose design, does just that. It provides such a pop of color to my lackluster face. I really can't wait to try this color in the summer when I have a bit of a tan as well.

*Brija Cosmetics in Nothing Sexy*

Yes, I have become obsessed with my Brija Cosmetics products. This beautiful silvery, taupe with sparkles is just gorgeous. I have been using this almost daily as just an overall wash on the lid and it looks so stunning. She recently came out with a Harry Potter collection and I will definitely be making a small purchase from it!

Swatches from L to R:

Lucrative Lipgloss in Lovesick

Powder Blush in Coral Cove

Shadow in Nothing Sexy

What beauty products were you reaching for during the cold, chilly month of February?

Purchase my Lucrative Lipgloss or any other Younique product by clicking here.

Monday, February 23, 2015

As of Tuesday, February 17th, I became the proud owner of a 900 square feet pre-war one bedroom co-op apartment! The process has been quite annoying and quite long, but I am so excited to own a place all on my own!

Since I am literally "building a home" from the floor up, I decided to create a little blog series documenting the process. Since the previous owner (an overgrown frat guy who got married) left it quite a mess I have quite a bit to do before moving in.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Fortune Cookie Soap Box is one of my favorite subscription boxes. As much as I love it, I did decide that this was going to be my last box. I have so many bath products to use up from them and with now paying a mortgage every month, I really want to limit my extra spending. So while this one was a hit, it's going to be my last one for a while :(

The theme of the spring box is "Wonderland". As a Disney FREAK, I love anything that even hints at a Disney movie so this box really excited me. It's also a nice combination of sweets and florals which is where my scent tastes tend to lie.

It's been quite a while since I've lit incense, but I must admit these smell nice and sweet not at all like the musky kinds I remember from my teen years.

*Off With Their Heads Bath Bomb*

"Groves of Meyer lemons and succulent oranges mingle with a perfectly manicured garden of wild roses, violets, and star jasmine perfumed with romantic tones of bergamot and Egyptian musk."

Now that I am moving into a place with a nice big bath tub I plan on taking baths constantly. This bath bomb not only smells pleasant but looks beautiful. I can't wait to try it out.

*Futterwacken Body Wash*

"Sun warmed lilies brightened with a splash of grapefruit and breath of fresh air."

It's been 1 or 2 boxes since I have received a body wash from FCS and I really enjoy their formulas. They are scented without being overpowering and suds up nicely. This one smells very citrusy and would be good to use in the morning or to nurse a hangover.

This isn't my favorite scent, but their Whipped Creams feel so amazing in that I will still be adding this to my collection and using it.

*Eat Me Perfume Oil*

"Scrumptious yellow cake with a fresh slathering of rick, creamy vanilla frosting, topped with fresh white pineapple slices and garnished with a sprig of blooming cilantro."

FCS Perfume Oils mean business! This one smells SO amazing It smells like a summer dessert and these perfumes last so long on the skin it's amazing. I will be using this one right away!

If you haven't tried Fortune Cookie Soap yet I would really recommend signing up to get their next subscription box. They are an amazing company that makes high quality products with really unique scents. This box costs $25 and also comes with a $10 coupon code to use on the site. It really can't be beat if you are looking for more natural and yummy scented bath products!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

A few months ago I decided I wanted to try a month or 2 of all of the cruelty free/naturalish subscription boxes I could find. So far I have been loving my Fortune Cookie Soap Seasonal Box and I really enjoyed my October Petit Vour Box. After watching a few videos on the subscription box that The All Natural Face offers and trying and enjoying a few of their products, I decided to give it a try!

Unfortunately, before I even received my first subscription box (I decided to give it 2 months, because they seem to vary in awesomeness month to month) I had a problem. I was charged for my February box, before I even received my January box! I had heard that they were incredibly slow with shipping, but I found that to be ridiculous. If this was a subscription box that I had planned on staying with, this might be a factor that leads me to think twice. I really think they need to get their shipping under control or at least not charge for the next months' box before even shipping out the prior one. Ok, end of rant!

On to January's box.

January's theme was Cherish the way you SPARKLE! Love!

Based on the packaging I'm assuming they knew we wouldn't be receiving this until well into February as it is very clearly Valentine's themed. However, the products were packaged nicely and the packaging really matches the theme and I appreciate that.

Here are the products I received:

*30 Gram Jar of Fairy Dust (full size- $10)*

"Sprinkle or pat this anywhere. Use it with eye shadow, powder your shoulders, add it toy our other minerals, sprinkle it everywhere."

When I saw the size of this product and saw how much it contained, I was pretty impressed. After swatching it, I saw that it was a beautiful color and felt like silk. I am interested in looking for various ways to incorporate this into my beauty routine. Any suggestions?

"The color, Nights in White Satin, seemed like a good Valentine's Day addition! Go ahead, be a girl and skip the poisons at the same time."

I have been reading about the chemicals and toxins found in most nail polishes, so I was very happy when The ANF released 5 free nail polishes. I love mother of pearl type colors, so I am very interested in trying this out. This is a product I am glad I received as I probably wouldn't spend $7 on a nail polish typically.

*Tinted Moisturizer BB Cream (mini size, full size $11.50)

"All of our lotions are at least 40% oil and crammed full of wonderful extracts, in other words, incredibly moisturizing and in this case age defying and sun protecting! This lotion contains vegetable squalane and evening primrose for anti aging goodness. Over 1/4 of the bottle is squalane oil. Licorice extract for evening out the complexion and zinc oxide for sun protection! Only use a dot of this! Less is more is our mantra!

Wow- what description! This shade is rather dark and bronzy and when swatched it really only offers a bit of glowiness. With that being said, I would love to try this out at the beach one day with a tan as it does sound like it has a lot of skin healing properties.

A massage oil and personal lubricant that is actually good for you. This is the unflavored version and is just coconut oil! Do be careful with oils and condoms- they don't mix. In most there brands..dimethicone is waterproof (plastic really..ew), and glycerin has been linked to yeast infections..what's a girl to do…The All Natural Face!*

I must say, I did not think I would be receiving a massage oil/lube in my box. Especially when they are telling me, it's just a container of coconut oil. With that being said, I never turn down coconut oil so I will be using this….on my hair haha.

*Peppermint Icing Lip Gloss (full size- $4.60)*

"Our peppermint oil is wildcrafted from the USA and it tastes like candy! I promise you will love the wonderful flavor. This lip gloss is great for every girl out there! Wear it alone or over a lip stick. It has a slight shimmery look and wonderful peppermint flavor.*

This product I was actually excited to receive as I have a Rimmel sparkly lip gloss that I have been looking to replace with a cruelty free find. This is exactly it! However, when they say peppermint flavor, they mean it! This is extremely pepperminty and definitely takes some getting used to. It just offers a very shiny finish with some slight shimmer, I love it!

Swatches with flash from L to R:

*BB Cream

*Lip gloss

*Shimmer

Swatches without flash L to R:

*Shimmer

*Gloss

*BB Cream

So the total value of the box is around $23 and I paid $15 total so I did get more than my money's worth, but I am honestly not in love with this box. I was really hoping to get some of their skin care and I feel like the giant sized jar of Fairy Dust was just a way to get in a full size product. I am hoping February's box (which I assume I will receive in mid-March) really blows me away. With that being said, I will be using or trying all of the products so maybe I will be changing my song after playing around with the products.